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Heritage & Opportunity AlliancePreserving Heritage · Building Opportunity · Organizing Community Power

Working program plan · September-November 2026

East Stuart Heritage Initiative

Oral history, community-created art and a curated heritage portfolio that future professional muralists can adapt for approved East Stuart walls.

Portfolio goal45-60 entries
Youth17-20 core participants
EldersAbout 45 reached
AdultsAbout 30 reached

Community authorship

Residents create the foundation.

Youth, elders and adults are the storytellers and artists. The pilot pairs oral histories and present-day experiences with original artwork, permissions and identifying details so the collection becomes a lasting cultural record.

The target is 45-60 documented art-and-story entries, with at least 15 from each participant group. That is a portfolio goal—not a promise to paint 45-60 murals.

Program pathway

Shared experiences lead into art and preservation.

  1. Sept. 23
    Community spaghetti kickoff

    Meet Heritage & Opportunity Alliance, hear the initiative’s vision, and invite youth and families to participate.

  2. Oct. 10
    Elder breakfast and introduction

    Use historical images and informal prompts to begin gathering memories.

  3. Oct. 24 AM
    Elder heritage journey

    Share breakfast, collect deeper oral histories, tour East Stuart memories, and visit MartinArts.

  4. Oct. 24 PM
    Youth heritage and art day

    Gather at MLK Park, experience the gallery, and document what today’s East Stuart should remember.

  5. Late Oct.-Nov.
    Make and preserve the work

    Hold youth, elder and adult art sessions; document, curate and prepare the heritage portfolio.

Youth

Today’s history, tomorrow’s heritage

Gallery exposure, a listening session and two planned outdoor painting sessions help young people turn the places, people and traditions they value into documented art.

Elders 60+

Memory to canvas

Breakfasts, historical images, a memory tour and November art sessions support deeper oral histories and visual interpretation of community memory.

Adults 21-59

The bridge generation

Adults document inherited traditions, changes they have experienced and the East Stuart they want future residents to inherit.

Working cash budget

$22,100 through portfolio and pre-mural development.

Heritage & Opportunity Alliance covers the $1,200 launch phase. The remaining $20,900 is structured for sponsors, grants and donated support. Mural fabrication and painting are excluded until walls, dimensions, materials, access, artist scope and approvals are known.

Funding structure
  • $1,200 - Heritage & Opportunity Alliance launch commitment
  • $2,700 - shared heritage experiences
  • $9,700 - art, oral history and portfolio work
  • $8,500 - curation and pre-mural development

What success looks like

A documented record that remains valuable before any mural is painted.

  • 45-60 paired art-and-story entries with permissions and identifying details
  • At least 15 entries from youth, elders and adults respectively
  • Two youth outdoor painting sessions and two elder breakfast touchpoints
  • Two elder ambassadors from each participating church
  • A curated shortlist suitable for later professional mural translation

Take part

Share history, create art, volunteer, partner or sponsor.

Dates and the working budget were reaffirmed by Heritage & Opportunity Alliance. Final session times, November locations, transportation arrangements, teaching artists, wall sites and future mural approvals remain implementation decisions.